


Epilogue

by Glarien13



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst?, Drunk Sex, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, M/M, Multi, One Big Happy Family, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, SO, Shower Sex, Xeno, and Eridan being all like no you're awesome, like everyone is in a relationship, mentions of relationships - Freeform, not really - Freeform, really Sollux just hating himself, seriously there are mentions of like everything i ship, that's about it, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 12:46:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glarien13/pseuds/Glarien13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The dock is deserted. At this time of night it's not hard to see why. The boats float, tethered by a rope to anchor themselves against the ceaseless tide. Sometimes you wish there was something like that for yourself. The city behind you has quieted to a dull hum. As you slip into the water your gills flare, and you feel like an incredible weight has been lifted from your shoulders. But sometimes you drift too far into the ocean. And there is no rope to pull you back." Your name is Eridan Ampora, and you are so incredibly alone. Sure you live in the same building as the trolls you used to call friends and the humans, but no one wants to associate with you. You can't blame them. You were a pretty big douchebag during and before the Game. They're slowly coming around after realizing that you've changed quite a bit but it's tentative, like they're afraid you'll snap and try to commit mass genocide. Kanaya probably will never talk to you again, even after she was able to create another Mother Grub with a recipe from Jane. You're not sure if you can do anything to change their minds. But you can try. </p>
<p>In which there is somehow an apartment building that can fit all 32 of them on two floors because I said so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is Eridan Ampora, and you are so incredibly alone. Sure you live in the same building as the trolls you used to call friends and the humans, but no one wants to associate with you. You can't blame them. You were a pretty big douchebag during and before the Game. They're slowly coming around after realizing that you've changed quite a bit but it's tentative, like they're afraid you'll snap and try to commit mass genocide. Kanaya probably will never talk to you again, even after she was able to create another Mother Grub with a recipe from Jane. You're not sure if you can do anything to change their minds. But you can try.

You sigh as you slowly roll out of your recuperacoon. The early evening sunlight streams through a crack in your curtains and you yank them shut, cursing at the brightness. Earth's sun wasn't as scorching to the skin as Alternia's was but trolls were nocturnal by nature. You dress into a pair of skinny jeans and a shirt with your Aquarius sign on it. You had decided to stop wearing the stupid cape and striped pants a long while ago, deciding that they projected a childish and quite silly stereotypical villain impression. You still had a pile of capes in the hopes that it would be used someday in a feelings jam with your moirail, but you weren't holding your breath. Dualscar, the ancestor you had so admired, had worn capes. He managed to pull them off when you couldn't.

Yawning you stagger into the bathroom, flicking the switch and wincing as the fluorescent lighting hit your sensitive eyes. You take a moment to reflect on the fact that you had called it a bathroom, and not an ablution chamber. The change had been sudden but not unexpected, given that you all were living on the same planet. The universe had probably taken it upon itself to rewire the language, making sure there was no confusion in day-to-day human and troll interaction. Shrugging at the presumed wisdom of the universe that you can't hope to comprehend you set about getting ready for the night. You had kept your rings, though they were slightly less gaudy and only adorned a few fingers. Your glasses too, for no other reason than the one that you still thought you looked damn good in them. Your eyes had filled in with your blood color, staining them a rich deep violet. Your skin is a darker grey, more of a slate than the pubescent tone. Kanaya was still a luminescent white, but she was different. You and your friends had gone through your final molts, and you were a lot taller now than before the Game had started. You had filled out too, years of swimming and killing powerful lususes with a laser gun paying off. You weren't bulging muscle like Equius was, but you were lean and definitely built. The purple streak in your hair was as vivid as ever, a defining feature you probably would never give up. Your horns have grown slightly bigger, the zig-zag shapes a little more pronounced. Everyone's horns had grown a little, but they were still mostly the same.

On the way out of your room you grab one of the few scarves hanging on a hook from the door. It got cold in New York fast, and even though it was October it felt like December. You no longer wore them everywhere you went, but they were handy to have. The hallway from your room is short, arriving in the space that's shared by the four of you living in this quarter of the 108th floor. You're relieved to find no one else is awake yet as you look around the kitchen for something to make breakfast with. There are sixteen of you on this floor, with the others living in floor 109 just above you. After quite some time rummaging the only things you've managed to have an appetite for are bacon and eggs. It wasn't like there weren't options. The kitchen was pretty big, and every cabinet had something in it. The two fridges were chock full as well, but you didn't feel like cooking anything more complicated. As the smell of bacon fills the kitchen you figure that if someone wasn't up yet they would be soon, drawn by the appetizing aroma. As predicted a door was heard opening, one of the other three residents emerging sleepily. It was Sollux. You always felt a little weird around Sollux due to you two being fused together as a sprite for so long. You suspected that Nepeta and Feferi felt the opposite. They seemed closer after the end of the Game. Tavros and Vriska had of course immediately self-destructed, so you couldn't say much about those two. You'd heard that Tavros had tried to initiate a matespritship with Vriska and been turned down spectacularly. It did end up with Tavros and Gamzee getting together, so the Taurus wasn't really that bad off. Those two had had sexual tension right from the start.

"Hey Sol." You say as he sits on the other side of the countertop in one of the four barstools set up there. "Hey ED." His voice is still thick with sleep, and damn it if he doesn't look cute. His hair is sticking out in all directions, and he looks like he literally just rolled out of his 'coon and threw something on. His glasses are perched precariously on his nose and he occasionally stifles a yawn with the back of his hand. Sollux had gotten taller with his molt as well, but you could say with a sense of pride that you were still slightly taller than him. Of course Gamzee dwarfed you both, but that wasn't important. He wasn't quite so skinny anymore due to his moirail Aradia forcing him to eat. It was easier to snap him out of one of his benders when she lived in the room right across the hall. You can't blame him for giving in to her. Sometimes she scared you into doing things when she wasn't even trying. You're startled by a crackle that wasn't the bacon, and turn around to see said piece of meat levitating in mid air. Okay, it wasn't levitating, just held up by Sollux's psionics as he deposits it on the paper towel covered plate to join a few other pieces. You shoot him a glare and lift the other pieces out of the pan, wincing when the hot grease pops and burns your fingers. He chuckles that dry laugh of his and shakes his head, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"That'th why I was helping you ED. I didn't want you to hurt yourthelf." His lisp is still pronounced but not as badly as when you were kids. He could say the 'sh' sound at least. "Thanks Sol but I think I can glubbin' handle myself." You tell him, splitting the eggs and bacon onto two plates. You put the dishes in the sink and hand a plate to him, sitting a chair apart from him. Sometimes you feel uneasy being too close to the other trolls, afraid of rejection. It's not like any of them had any reason to like you, but Sollux somehow never stopped talking to you. Even if it was insults and threats he was the only one who talked to you in the dream bubbles after what you did on the meteor. When you were a fused sprite you felt as though there was something unspoken between you two, but it was lost in the self loathing and hatred of the world. You had expected him and Feferi to get back together after you were all revived on Earth but to your (and everyone else's) surprise they hadn't.

You had never asked Sollux about it, but you suspected it had something to do with him being half dead and losing his psionics and Vision Twofold for a brief time. Feferi was a royal, and could only be kept by interesting things. That was how you had been anyways, and you were just a step below her. She wasn't a great moirail and neither were you, and that probably translated to being a shitty matesprit. You'd like to think that had changed but it was hard to tell when no one would give you a chance. You didn't resent it, it was just a fact of life. "What are you going to thcool for ED?" Sollux suddenly asks. You freeze for a moment, temporarily shocked. Sollux never cared what you did except when you were making food. You swallow and put your fork down, looking anywhere but at his face.

"I'm, uh, studyin Ancient History an Psychology." You stammer out, blushing a slight violet at the tips of your fins. They were completely different interests but you couldn't find it in yourself to pick one or the other. This was your first year of college anyways, you had time. You were only eighteen. "Let me guess. You're going to school for a tech degree even though you probably know more than the professors. That right?" You ask to change the subject, finishing your eggs. He grins, nodding his head.

"Tho right you have no idea. Thometimes I want to thtand up and re-teach the clath becauthe they are hilariouthly wrong." He reaches across to your plate and snatches a piece of bacon, much to your chagrin. "But I need the thtupid degree or I won't make ath much money." He shrugs, munching on his ill-gotten bacon. You roll your eyes and take his plate away, washing them and the pans. When you finish you turn to see him raising an eyebrow. "You're being awfully domethtic ED." He snickers. "Tryin' to do my part unlike some people." You glare pointedly at him. He shrugs again, standing from his seat. "

Mind waiting for me? I forgot my thubway path." Before you can respond he's hurrying back to his room. You check the clock on the stove: only six-forty, good. Class for you two didn't start until seven-thirty but it never hurt to leave as early as possible. Grabbing your key from its key ring you just finish pulling your coat and purple Vans on when Sollux gets to the stair door out of breath and wrapped in a comfortable yellow coat emblazoned with his sign. Your own is just a plain purple with your sign sewn over the left side of your chest. His shoes are still mismatched, black on the right foot and white on the left. "God Sol you stand out like a sore thumb." You whine, to which he just laughs. You wrap your scarf around your neck as you walk down the stairs and into the elevator. No way are you two going to go down 108 flights of stairs. Karkat is already waiting when the elevator gets there with a ping. He responds to your greetings with a typical "HELLO ERIDOUCHE AND SOLSHIT. NOW FUCK OFF." You think he's even more crabby in the mornings, not like you can tell the difference. The ride is short as usual, and you and Sollux part ways from Karkat as he makes it a point to park as far away from the others as possible. Sollux never bought a car, preferring to use public transport or bum rides off of Karkat when he forgot his subway pass. This had been the first time he had asked you, and you wonder why today was different. Shrugging it off you coax your Subaru to life, the engine purring and the interior littered with Starbucks cups. You resign yourself to a long drive.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that I love writing in present tense second person. It's so much easier and flows a lot better. It almost redeems me for the debacle of a SolKat fic that I just finished.

To no one's surprise the drive to the campus is long and terrible. There are at least three times when you fear for your life due to some other idiot's poor driving skills, and that's actually the least it's been all year. The weather is terrible, pouring sheets of rain straight into the windows and making it difficult to see five feet in front of you. Lightening shoots across the sky followed by booming rolls of thunder that threaten to split it apart. Sollux offers to buy you Starbucks, to which you give him another incredulous look. As you both stand in line thoroughly soaked despite your rush into the building, you ask him why he's being so nice all of a sudden. He replies with a shrug, but you have to press him.

"Seriously Sol, what's the big deal? I mean it's nice a you an all and don't think I don't appreciate it, I would just like to know why." Your wavy accent and fins draw the attention of a few lowbloods sitting at the tables, as if they were afraid you were going to cull them on sight. Some habits just never died you suppose.

"Look, I'm trying to be nithe. Everyone elthe thtill kind of hateth you, and I don't want that. Tho maybe if I'm nithe other trollth will follow." He snaps, his eyes hidden behind his glasses that did nothing to lessen the force of his glare. You're surprised for the third time in less than thirty minutes, keeping silent except to tell the cashier, (who is a very pretty jade blood and keeps throwing you glances you're not sure are entirely work appropriate) your order. As you resume the drive after having once again braved the storm that hadn't abated in the slightest you turn your violet gaze over to Sollux.

"I thought you hated me." You say quietly into the too silent car, looking back at the road. He doesn't speak for a few minutes that seem to stretch on into eternity. Just as you arrive at the campus he speaks, one hand on the door.

"I did too." He says just as quietly as you did. And then he's gone, running across the parking lot into the tech building. You look at the napkin the jadeblood wrote her phone number on and shut the car off, tucking the piece of paper into your pocket. You're a few minutes early so you take your time going to the sports lockers to retrieve the books you didn't already have with you. You stash them all into the one-shoulder messenger bag, along with everything else you need for your classes. Just because you were lucky enough to not have any assignments due today doesn't mean that you don't have others. Truthfully you kind of slacked off last night, choosing not to bring any materials home even though you had a ten-page essay due on Friday which was two days from now. You had a test coming up and a five-page report on the civilizations and culture of Ancient Greece also due Friday.

You leave the locker rooms of the swim team, which you were a part of. You were also the only seadweller on the team, which was weird considering landdwelling trolls on Alternia and Beforus hadn't wanted to even go near the water. The team was mostly orange and redbloods, with a few humans mixed in.

The trolls mostly left you alone. Even with the abolishment of the hemospectrum it would take a long time for trolls to accept that blood didn't matter. It had taken you an eternity in a dream bubble with your Beforan predecessors and ancestor, and being fused with a lowblood for an extended amount of time for you to even consider the idea. Sometimes you saw bluebloods picking on a lower blood type and stepped in, your violet eyes and fins shutting them up. They usually apologized profusely and swore to never do it again. Those who still clung onto the hatred between land and seadwelling trolls despite your blood color were persuaded to stop by saying that you knew an extremely volatile indigo blood who would be more than happy to demonstrate his subjugglator ancestry. And if that didn't work? Well, you could always say you knew a tyrian. Feferi's blood color wasn't as rare now that there was no need for an Empress but there was still only a one in a million chance that a tyrian blooded grub would hatch.

It was the humans who were a pain in the ass. They teased you about the fins and the gills which were closed most of the time anyways. You could control if they were open or closed, and since living on land didn't require gills they were mostly closed. Your gills were situated in between your ribs, connected to your lungs. When they were open they converted the water into oxygen, separating the oxygen molecule from the hydrogen molecule and pumping it into your lungs. When they were closed your lungs functioned like a normal landdweller's, inhaling air and exhaling carbon dioxide. During your swim meets one of the humans had seen them and challenged you to an underwater breathing contest, not believing that you could breath with your gills. You stayed at the bottom of the pool for the entire swim meet, three hours at least. That had led to an incessant bout of name calling, to which you replied with indifference. It wasn't like you hadn't heard it all before.

You take your coat off and stuff it into the locker, securing the padlock when the door is closed. Sighing you head back up the stairs, passing by Aradia. She was in the Archaeology major, like no one saw that coming. She looked pretty much the same, just taller like everyone else. She was still fairly short, shorter than Karkat even. He bragged about that every chance he could get, and actually you had noticed that he was significantly taller than when the Game had started. Aradia's eyes were a rust red, not to be mistaken with Karkat's candy red irises.

"Hey." She murmurs, to which you reply in kind. You two had never even talked much before the Game, but now that she was Sollux's moirail and Sollux was sometimes your not quite friend you felt that it would be nice to be polite. You slide into a seat at the back of the lecture hall and settle in, pulling out your laptop and opening a new document in Word. You look up as the teacher walks in and-

"Oh cod no." You groan, burying your face in your scarf. The teacher had brought in the bitch of a guest speaker who you were certain hated your guts. She always called on you and looked smug when you got the answer wrong, which wasn't often. You feel a sympathetic pat on your shoulder from the boy behind you and weakly smile your thanks. You're startled by a loud ping from Trollian, which you had forgotten to mute after using your laptop last night.

"Mister Ampora, it would be appreciated if you would stop messaging your little friends in the middle of class and concentrate on the lecture for once." The guest speaker says in a condescending tone, to which the teacher nods sagely. Your face flushes violet under your darker grey skin and you mumble an apology before turning the sound off on your computer. As the lecture starts you check Trollian and find a message from Sollux. Intrigued you click on it, going over what possible reasons he could have for messaging you in class.

 

**twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA]**

 

TA: 2orry about earliier ed

 

TA: ii guess ii ju2t wanted two finally 2ay iit

 

CA: its fine sol

 

CA: i wwas just a little surprised

 

CA: usually youre such a douchebag

 

CA: youre nevver nice

 

TA: gee thank2 for the compliiment ed

 

TA: real niice piick me up

 

CA: sorry

 

TA: iit'2 fiine

 

TA: 2o how'2 cla22 goiing?

 

CA: oh my cod its fuckin awwful

 

CA: wwere just revviewwin for a test but the prof had to go an bring in this old human bitch wwho fuckin despises me for no reason

 

CA: i didnt evven call her names or anythin

 

CA: she just hates me

 

TA: ehehehehe

 

TA: 2ound2 liike fun

 

CA: you dont evven knoww sol

 

CA: wwhy did you decide to message me instead a doin your class wwork

 

TA: ii wa2 bored and ii fiiniished liike twenty minute2 ago

 

TA: the a22ignment was two ea2y

 

TA: ii could have done iit with my eye2 clo2ed

 

TA: more iimportantly, why are you re2ponding two me iif you're 2tudying?

 

You raise an eyebrow at that and chuckle, shaking your head. You're half tuned into the screeching voice of the old hag, but you already know most of things she's prattling on about. Looking around you can see a similar level of attention from your classmates, who alternate between fucking around on the Internet and staring off into space.

 

CA: touche

 

CA: but i already knoww most a the stuff anywways

 

TA: 2o what are you doiing after 2chool?

 

You think for a moment, drumming your fingers on the top of the desk. Just as you're about to answer the harpy calls your name. "So Mister Ampora, since you were obviously listening to the lecture and not on the Internet, can you tell me who the main conspirators were in the assassination of Caesar?" You roll  your eyes, tapping your unused pencil on the blank sheet of paper that was supposed to be used for notes. "Cassius and Brutus. After the assassination they flee Rome due to Antony, the one who loved Caesar as a brother, inflaming the people's passions against the conspiracy and the senators. They both commit suicide in a battle against the armies of Antony and Octavius, Caesar's son." You smirk a little at the way she opens and closes her mouth like a fish and hands the lecture over to the more soothing voice of the professor. Several students sigh in audible relief and perk up, suddenly attentive. You look back to your computer and see that Sollux left you a few more messages.

 

TA: ed?

 

TA: hello?

 

TA: that wa2 kiind of a 2tupiid que2tion wasn't iit

 

CA: sorry sol i just had to answwer a question that evven a high schooler wwould knoww

 

CA: made that cod damn harpy shut up though

 

CA: i havve classes until nine-thirty an then i havve to wwork until fivve but im not doin anythin after that

 

CA: wwhy do you ask?

 

TA: iit'2 nothiing

 

TA: ii was ju2t wondering where you would be iif ii had two go and fiind your 2tupid fii2hface

 

CA: oh

 

CA: i see

 

CA: cant you just use your VVision?

 

TA: 2tupid that'2 only 2uppo2ed two be u2ed for emergency2

 

TA: and you lyiing half dead 2omewhere ii2 not an emergency

 

TA: do you have any iidea of how much effort ii need two exert two use my Viisiion Twofold?

 

TA: a fuckiing lot

 

CA: okay sol i get it

 

CA: get your bi-colored panties out a their knot

 

CA: i wwas just askin a fuckin question

  
You spend the rest of the class period bickering. Insults are good. Insults you can handle, threats you can digest. Whatever weird thing had happened between you two this morning was stuffed into the back of your mind, not ready to untangle the knot of feelings you had for the lispy asshole. For now you were content with trading blows. At least you knew what to expect when you were fighting. He logs off after your Ancient History class ends and you're stuck actually listening to the professor of your next class period, Math. Math wasn't your strong suit, but you did pretty good in it. You work on the papers due for your Ancient History and Psychology classes and almost get them finished, needing only a few minor touches that you would do later when you felt like it. Another hour passes by and suddenly it's nine-thirty. You put your laptop into your bag and stretch your cramped muscles as you walk out to your car.

The rain has thankfully slowed to a light drizzle but you were still glad you remembered to grab your coat from the locker room. Being a step below tyrian and a seadweller your blood was cold, colder than the lower bloods by degrees. That didn't mean you couldn't feel cold, and after being out of the freezing Alternian ocean for so long you still slightly shivered when it got below a certain temperature. There was an ocean here of course, but it felt like a heated pool compared to the icy water of your home planet. Sollux is standing by your car, and you feel a little bit sorry for him. In a platonic way of course. If you were cold than he must be an ice cube considering how much lower on the spectrum he was.

"I thought you would have found your subway pass." You tell him as you unlock the car. He scrambles in and turns the heater on as soon as you start it, sighing in relief. You don't understand why he didn't use his psionics to keep him warm, because they were energy and all energy gives off heat. He should know that being in the tech department. But maybe he didn't want to waste unnecessary energy since he knew you'd be getting out of class soon.

"I did. But I have to go home the thame way I got here. Thymmetry." You nod in understanding. Of course, everything had to be twos with him. You sniff the air in the car as you drive down the slightly less crowded street. Every time of day it was crowded in New York. The City That Never Sleeps was perfect for a bunch of nocturnal trolls. You hadn't seen as many of your kind around as you had expected, but that's probably because they wanted to live in a smaller city or in the country. Trolls were strange sometimes. You sniff again and smell something...burning?

"Sol. Why does it smell like somethin's burnin?" You ask, a little concerned. He grimaces, holding up a corner of his shirt that's a little singed.

"I accidentally thent a viruth to thith haughty green blood who wath lording over me jutht becauthe she ith thlightly higher than me on the thpectrum. Her computer blew up nextht to me." He grinned, his red and blue eyes laughing behind his glasses. You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"Damn it Sol that's not how you solve problems. Now she's goin to try an get you back." He narrows his eyes, the joking atmosphere dissipating.

"Thayth the one who gave up like a little bitch and tried to tholve hith problemth with violenthe, and then wath killed by a pithed off KN." You wince at the memory, unconsciously touching the place where you had been cut by Kanaya's chainsaw. "You almotht curthed our rathe to exthtinction. I don't want to hear your preaching." He continues, hissing through his overgrown teeth. You clench the wheel a little tighter, focusing on controlling your breathing and getting the two of you home. You ignore Sollux the rest of the way and barely give him time to get out of the car before locking it and stalking off, away from the apartment building towards your job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is how the apartment floors look since I don't really describe them.  
> http://egderpdidthewindything.tumblr.com/post/57429484713/so-this-is-the-layout-for-the-aprtments-in-my-post


	3. Chapter 3

When you get back to the apartment building your anger has just been exacerbated. The people at work were even more stupid than usual, or maybe it was just that everything pissed you off. You just wanted to drink the bottle of Jack Daniels you picked up on the walk home. The drinking age for trolls was whenever they went through their final molt, as that was the stage that they were done growing. You were suddenly grateful for that particular law, as you planned on getting plastered this morning.

As you step out of the elevator and onto the stairs you can hear that other people had the same idea. There was a crowd gathered in the living room of the quarter of the floor that Vriska, Nepeta, Terezi, and Kanaya shared. The only one you could see that actually lived there was Vriska, who was fighting with Terezi. They just needed to get over it and realize that their hate for each other was way more than platonic. Nepeta suddenly bursts through her door, giggling drunkenly.

"Nepeta, I forbid you to go out there! Nepeta!" Equius calls out, futilely trying to stop her while she yells her denial. If there was any representation of their relationship more accurate than that you would eat your scarf. You crack open the bottle of Jack and settle onto a couch, taking a long draw of the liquor. Terezi and Vriska's fight has gotten more physical, and you blush when you realize that clothes are going to come off soon. Thankfully they're stopped by Porrim and herded off to Vriska's room where they'll hopefully act on those black feelings. You nurse the bottle and try to ignore Latula and Mituna practically sucking face on the couch across from you. You mutter at them to get a room and they share a grin, doing just that. Mituna had gotten better when he was revived but he was still a little fucked in the head. You tug the scarf off your neck, draping it on the arm of the couch next to you.

By the time half the bottle's gone your vision is starting to blur and Damara's tried to sleep with you at least three times. Finally Rufioh gets her to leave you alone and go back to her room, and you thank him repeatedly. He brushes it off and goes back to Horuss and his dancestor. Tavros is strangely separated from Gamzee, his matesprit cuddled in the horn pile with Karkat, having a feelings jam. Tavros looked more confident nowadays, and he had grown a pair of wings to match Rufioh's. He looks much happier than he had been in the Game. Everyone looks happier, and then there was you. Even Vriska had been forgiven and was starting to mend friendships. But you were stuck. It was a hole of your own making that you had just kept digging every time you opened your mouth.

You sigh, three-quarters of the bottle gone. You are past the point of just drunk, and you can barely see the sun starting to shine through the closed curtains. The clock reads seven in the morning and you groan, standing with a wobble. You grip the arm of the couch to steady yourself and take your scarf, putting it around the back of your neck. You pull out your cellphone and the crumpled napkin with that cashier's number on it. You talk to her for a few minutes and she invites you over to her place, giving you directions that are easy to remember even in your current state. You finish off the bottle and stumble down the stairs, almost falling multiple times.

After spending five minutes trying to get your key into the lock of your car you decide that you probably shouldn't be driving and start walking to her house. You manage to not look hammered in public but you still get curious looks. Trolls weren't usually seen out in the daylight unless they were weird like Kanaya and actually liked the sun. You get to her apartment and knock on the door, taking a moment to register the fact through your fuzzy mind that she's only wearing a nightgown. You dont resist when she pulls you by the hand into the bedroom, stripping you of your shirt. You knew what you were getting into when you called. You blink and suddenly her head is between your legs as you're sprawled out on a bed. You blink again and your wrists are tied behind the headboard, the pretty jade blood riding your writhing bulge as her own is buried in your nook. She gets a bucket and unties your wrists, bringing you both to your knees as you come. When your genetic materials have filled the bucket you collapse onto the bed, your eyes sliding closed almost instantaneously.

You wake up with a dry tongue but most certainly still a little tipsy. Enough that you're not hungover at least. You throw your clothes on and pass the jade blood on your way out, exchanging fleeting courtesies. You both knew that you probably wouldn't see each other again, except for when you got a craving for Starbucks. The walk back home turns into a run as you remember that your papers aren't quite done and need a few revisions before you hand them in. You take the stairs two at a time and go a little slower through the room where the party was. Karkat and Gamzee are in the exact same position you left them in, except now they're asleep. Vriska and Terezi are sleeping on separate couches, scratches and bite marks covering their visible skin you note with approval. Cronus is passed out on the floor, smelling like whiskey and cigarettes. You grimace as you step over him and Damara, all twined together like a couple of disgusting snakes. You can't believe he sunk that low, even if he was drunk. Damara was fucking crazy, and you wouldn't bail him out when he came crying to you. Okay, you probably would, but only because you couldn't stand seeing someone who was supposed to be the pre-scratch version of your revered ancestor Dualscar reduced to a pleading mess. Nepeta is missing, probably carried back to her room by Equius when she finally crashed. One of the human kids, Dave, nods at you when you pass by him in the kitchen, opening the door that leads to your quarter of the floor.

You're suddenly assaulted by an unknown force as soon as you close the door. Instinct kicking in you roll to the side, bringing out Ahab's Crosshairs. You still practiced with the gun, keeping it handy for a situation like this. You drop to one knee and look through the sight for what had attacked you. You lower the gun and put it back into your strife specibus, standing slowly.

"Sol what the hell was that?! I could have shot you!" The Gemini is swaying unsteadily and his cheeks are yellow with the blush that only a drunk has, stray psionic sparks still dancing around his eyes.

"I wath wondering when you would get back." He slurs, his words barely intelligible. You glance at the wall clock and find your suspicions to be correct, the hands showing it to be around three in the afternoon. All self respecting trolls should be in bed right now, but here the two of you are.

"Come on Sol, you're drunk. I'm sure Kar doesn't want to have to deal with you openin the door to his room this early so you can sleep in my recuperacoon. I need to work on some papers anyways." You guide him to your bedroom with an arm around his shoulders, snatching a bottle of half-finished vodka from the counter. Sollux flops onto the bed before you can drag him to the coon, and you figure he's not going to move anytime soon so you just leave him there. If he's as drunk as you were he won't be having any daymares. He rolls to his side and watches you as you sit at your desk and retrieve your laptop from the bag you had somehow put in here at some point earlier, despite not remembering it. You start typing your revisions, alternating between drinking and surfing the web when you take a break. An hour passes by in this manner, Sollux being strangely quiet the entire time. Occasionally you can feel his eyes on you as he giggles, and he speaks up in his slurred speech.

"ED you thmell like thex." He wrinkles his nose. You roll your eyes, continuing to type up the last few corrections. You've finished off the vodka already, adding to the buzz you had from earlier.

"Sorry Sol, I'll try to take a shower next time." You tell him jokingly. He sits up so suddenly his glasses fall off, piercing with those red and blue discs.

"It wath that jade from Thtarbuckth wathn't it." He hisses, crawling toward you on the bed and landing on the floor with a small thump. You finish the last edits and send it in to your professor, a day early just to make sure the old fuck gets it on time. Your Psychology paper is sent in as well and you shut your laptop to turn and regard the giggling troll laying on the floor.

"Why should you care who I sleep with?" You hardly feel his weight as you pick him up and toss him unceremoniously onto the bed again, making sure to set his glasses gently on the night stand.

"Nextht time I'm going to make sure you thmell like me, not thome thkanky broad from the coffee shop." You put your scarf next to the others on their hook, peeling your shirt off.

"Yeah, whatever Sol." You disregard his drunk rambling, until he's suddenly in front of your face, kissing you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gratuitous shitty smut that you can skip because nothing happens it's just there. Just read the next chapter, seriously.

He tastes like vodka and honey. Usually the combination wouldn't sound appealing to you at all, but somehow from him it tastes like heaven. You close your eyes and kiss him back, grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him closer. Later you'll probably blame it on the drunkenness. You open your mouth as he runs his forked tongue over your lips, asking for entrance. You moan softly into the kiss, pulling him flush against your chest. Your hands tangle into his soft hair, your tongues battling for dominance. He wins eventually, exploring your mouth in a way that makes you shudder. Your claws graze the base of his smaller horns and he pulls away, eyes glazed over in a haze of drunken lust. You wonder if he'll even remember this in the morning. He trails sloppy, wet kisses down your jaw and to your neck, sucking softly at the sensitive skin there. His leg pushes apart your own, pressing down against your emerging bulge. You whine and arch your back, exposing the sensitive skin. You feel his hot breath against your fin, his tongue flicking out and- oh god. He takes the tip of your fin into his mouth and you moan, how the hell did he know to do that. Your hands tighten in his hair as he does it again and you're coming undone. He rubs his knee in between your legs and you're desperately moving against it to relieve some of the tension. Your lower abdomen is melting, all of the heat concentrating on your bulge. His mouth is so warm as he kisses along the bottom of your neck, moving to the other fin. "Cod Sol, please." You whimper, rubbing the bases of his horns. He purrs softly and grins, licking a stripe from the top of your fin to your jaw.

"What wath that? I didn't hear you." You whimper again when he sucks the tip of your fin slowly, a small _please_ escaping right before a gasp as he gently bites down. "Pleathe what?" He murmurs lowly into your ear. You swallow and blush, looking into his two-toned eyes. "Please pail me." You whisper, almost too quietly to hear. He smirks and picks you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. He must be stronger than he looks, because he's throwing you onto the bed and taking off his shirt before climbing over you. He's settled between your legs, gently pushing them apart. You put your hands on his back as he kisses you again, running his hands up and down your sides. You shiver and dig your claws slightly into his back when he ghosts over your bulge, which is now fully unsheathed and twisting in on itself to find some sort of friction. From the way he's pulling your pants off he liked it, stripping his own after some difficulty with yours.

"Don't wear thuch tight pantth nextht time." He mutters into your ear, making you see stars when he grinds your hips together. He rocks against you in a steady motion and you can barely think straight, biting your lip to keep the small gasps and moans in. There won't be a next time. This is a drunken one-time thing, and you're honestly okay with that. At least you'll know that at one time he wanted you. He's kissing you again, speeding up the rhythm of his hips. "Let me hear them." He growls sharply, punctuating it with an exceptionally rough movement. His hands are on your gills, one false move and they would be fucked up forever. But he's gentle, prodding and poking at the sensitive skin. You moan softly, closing your eyes. "Sol, cod, I want your bulge inside me." You plead, too far gone to care about embarrassment. He pulls both of your boxers off, and he does have two. Not two separate, just one that splits into two about halfway. Kinda like his tongue, two from one. He looks up at you as he positions himself, a sudden clarity in his gaze. You nod and open your legs wider, exposing your dripping violet nook. He pushes in and it hurts for the first few seconds but then he's pressing against a spot inside and you keen, wrapping your legs around his waist. When your hips are joined your bulge wriggles under, sliding into his own nook. Your eyes roll back in your head and your hands go back up into his hair to anchor yourself as he slides out to the tip and back in. After a few awkward thrusts you two establish a rhythm that has you both moaning. He bites your shoulder and licks the wound softly, still thrusting agonizingly slowly. You arch your back and meet his thrusts halfway, making him go deeper than before.

"Sol, faster please fuck." You mumble. He does speeding up until it's all you can do to keep up with him. He's so warm, filling your cold blood with a fire that rages under your skin. He moans into your ear and sucks on your fin again, to which you reply with rubbing his horns, alternating between the bigger and smaller ones. His hands are on your hips with enough force to bruise but you don't care because the sharp prick of pain just heightens the pleasure more. You're crying with how good it feels and make sure to tell him with loud pants and moans. You repeat his name, able to remember his but not your own. Hearing your name fall from his lips against your shoulder as he thrusts harder and faster into you makes it ten times better. He moves one hand from your hips to your horns, rubbing the velvety smooth base the same way you're doing to him. You manage to gather enough coherent thought to ask for a bucket but he just shooshes you, telling you to release inside. He bites your fin and that's it. The tightening heat in your stomach uncoils and you release into him, biting into his shoulder as he tightens around you and moans your name into your ear. You feel a rush of hot liquid as his genetic material fills you throughout the aftershocks. After you come down from your high he pulls out of you, causing you to do the same. Your bulge is starting to retract as the combination of your two colors stains the bedsheets.

"What the fuck kinda color is that." You mutter sleepily, but Sollux doesn't reply. He's already asleep, pressed against your side. You hate to wake him but he needs to get dressed and go back to his own room. If he woke up in yours, naked, it would just cause a lot of fighting and questions that you're not ready to answer yet. It's easier to just pretend it never happened and hope he doesn't remember. You get him into his clothes and put on a pair of pants. You lead him to his room and into his two colored recuperacoon, putting him into the blue side. Hopefully he'll wake up and just think that he passed out after getting drunk. Not sure where to put his glasses you set them next to his laptop, figuring that wasn't too unusual of a place. You head back to your own room and stuff the blankets and sheets into the washer, suddenly exhausted. You're lucky you don't have class tonight because you'd never wake up on time, glad that Sollux doesn't have class either. You strip out of your pants and climb into your own 'coon, sighing heavily.

Sleep steals over you as the light outside slowly darkens. In your dreams you're once again a sprite on that green planet, floating around the desolate hills. You hear a faint thumping in the distance, like the sound of war drums. The thumping becomes more insistent and you're dragged out of the comforting dream. You hang over the lip of your recuperacoon, blinking into the dark room. "What the fuck do you want?!" You yell irritably, and the pounding on your door stops.

"It's Aradia." You climb out of your recuperacoon and throw on a pair of purple striped pajamas after rinsing your skin of the sopor. You open the door, wincing at the light of the hallway. "Please come in. The light hurts." She nods understandingly and you close the door behind her, sighing gratefully as the light is cut off. You suddenly remember the hickeys on your neck and panic through the pain of your hangover. Aradia raises an eyebrow at you and perches on the edge of the bed gracefully. "I know what you and Sollux did yesterday afternoon." She broaches the subject before you can even begin to explain yourself.

"Cod Aradia I am so sorry you have no fuckin idea it was just that he kissed me an we were both drunk an I know it was a mistake but I couldn't help myself an I am so fuckin sorry that I took advantage a your moirail an you probably hate me in the most platonic way possible." She shooshes you, papping the side of your face gently. "It's alright. I probably shouldn't be telling you this but he's had flushed feelings for you ever since the Game ended. He just hasn't realized it yet." You suddenly understand why Sollux was so pale for this girl, she understood everything even without using her freaky psychic powers. You sigh brokenly, burying your throbbing head in your hands.

"Does he remember?" You ask faintly. She shakes her head. "He remembers being in your room while you worked and then waking up in his own recuperacoon." You're not sure whether to be happy or disappointed and decide to go with the former. "Ara I don't want to risk our friendship because I was a fuckin dumbass. I'm pretty sure he's flushed for Kar an I'm not comin in between them. They're a better match anyways. Please don't tell him about this." She frowns disapprovingly. "Eridan I know I'm not your moirail but please consider telling Sollux about your feelings if you're not going to tell him about what happened between you two. Maybe something that you don't expect will come out of it." She paps your cheek one final time and glides out of your room, closing the door with a quiet click that echoes in the empty darkness.

 


	5. Chapter 5

You search your bathroom for the painkillers you have stashed away and take three, despite the recommendation being one or two. You wash it down with a glass of water and arrange your appearance into something semi-respectable, leaving your rings on the sink's countertop. Upon opening the door you find that the light still hurts and wish the painkillers would kick in already. You stumble groggily into the empty living room and sit down with a grunt. You pull a blanket, one of the many strewn around, over your head to try and block out the head-splitting fluorescent light. You hear footsteps and groan when they start talking, waving your hands feebly. The blanket is pulled off and you look up to see the broken horn of Equius, thankfully standing in the way of the light.

"Eq please, just let me die." You whine, covering your eyes. Your skull throbs particularly painfully, accompanied by a feeling of nausea. "I regret to inform you that I cannot do that. A sea troll you may be, but you are also a highblood and I will not stand to see a highblood reduced to such a state." He's lifting you up into his muscled arms with the ease you carried Sollux with, despite your squirming and half formed protests. He dumps you into a bar stool and starts making something that honestly smells more sickly than appetizing. He sets it down in front of you with no broken dishes to your utter not-surprise. The only time he broke anything with that ridiculous strength of his was when he wasn't trying to control it. How else would he make robots that rivaled even Dirk's. He commands you to eat and then starts sweating, agitated that he dared to command a highblood. You're lucky he carries a shit load of towels with him everywhere or his sweat would probably start puddling into your food. You eat quickly, your stomach reminding you that you haven't eaten since those bacon and eggs yesterday. Whatever Equius had made was starting to work as you finished the plate in record time. Your headache was subsiding, and light and sound didn't hurt so much. You stand and despite his sweat embrace the taller troll. He wasn't much taller, a few inches give or take, but you could barely fit your arms around the chiseled torso. He didn't smell that bad despite his constant sweating and you felt him hesitantly place his hands on your upper back, a feather light touch that was barely there.

"You're not goin to break me Eq." He hugs you more forcefully and you think you hear your back crack, but other than that you're fine. He backs away after he realizes that he had the nerve to hug a highblood, adjusting his cracked sunglasses. "Hey Eq. Um, thank you. For doing that." He flashes a trembling smile at you and retreats to his room, taking a fresh towel out of his sylladex. Feeling more like a normal troll again you wash the dishes, cleaning the kitchen for good measure. You shudder to think what Vriska's quarter looked like after the party last night, but then figure that Kanaya and Rose probably cleaned it up. Weird bonding time for the couple probably, making dry observations about the effects of alcohol on the two species. You hear a door slam closed along with yelling and watch Sollux stalk through the living room, freezing at the doorway when he sees you there.

"Hey ED. Got a cure for a hangover?" He sounds like he's in pain and you wince sympathetically. "Drink more." You tell him with a straight face, and even though it must hurt he forces out a little laugh. "Sorry, had to say it. Eq just made me somethin that helped though. I'll try to see if I can remember what he used." Sollux slowly walks into the kitchen and sits on the edge of a barstool, like he's ready to take off at any moment. You make a pretty close approximation of what Equius did and set it in front of him along with a glass of water and two pills. He takes the pills and immediately digs into the food. You wonder if he's eaten since that breakfast you made for him and decide probably not. He was probably coding for his freelance job and decided to get shitfaced drunk when he finished. He puts his fork down and sighs happily. You don't feel like doing the dish so you just stick it in the sink with the rest, knowing someone would do them sooner or later.

"KK thinkth you took advantage of me latht night." He offers into the silence. "Oh." You reply while thinking of more intelligent things to say. "Well I didn't." It's the best you can come up with without further exposition. "I know. He knowth too, he jutht careth about me. He careth about you too. He flipped the fuck out when I told him about that jade blood." He grins across the counter at you. "He cares, huh." You say, a little more hurt sounding than you meant it to. "Don't worry ED we're tho pale for each other that if we didn't both already have moirailth we would be each otherth." You blink at that. You had thought their relationship was more flushed than that. "I don't remember thothe." He says, pointing to the hickeys on your neck. You blush and look away, trying to tug up your pajama shirt collar to hide them. "I...got them from the jade blood. She was a real kinky broad." You laugh nervously and he seems to accept it with a shrug. "Thay no more, I don't want to hear about your thex life." You open your mouth to tell him more and his psionics lash out, singing the tips of your horns. "Ow, fuck!" You rub your horns, glaring at him. He laughs, clicking his tongue at you. "You can't beat a thionic ED." He gloats. "Oh really? Then what would you call that time on the meteor?" The words are out before you can stop them, and you immediately want to punch yourself in the face. Sollux manages to look angry, confused, and sad in a matter of seconds. "Shit I'm sorry Sol, I didn't mean it like that." He gets up and walks away without a word, the slam of his door making you flinch.

You swear loudly and put your pants, shirt, coat, and shoes on, leaving the car keys. Kanaya's quarter is spotless as usual, quite a feat considering the state it had been in yesterday. You fidget as the elevator goes down and can't get out of the building fast enough. It's a mild night and you're glad for that, making the long walk to the ocean bearable. The dock is deserted. At this time of night it's not hard to see why. The boats float, tethered by a rope to anchor themselves against the ceaseless tide. Sometimes you wish there was something like that for yourself. The city behind you has quieted to a dull hum. As you slip into the water your gills flare, and you feel like an incredible weight has been lifted from your shoulders. But sometimes you drift too far into the ocean. And there is no rope to pull you back. Lost in thought you don't hear the noise until it's almost too late. There is laughter all around, a group of sea trolls forming a loose circle around you. You hold your gun in front of you, surveying the group. They're all lower on the spectrum than you are except for their leader, a violet blood like yourself, though slightly lighter. His horns spiraled from base to tip, but they weren't impressively large. He's holding a harpoon and you scoff, rolling your eyes.

"Well, what's a landweller doing here?" You grimace at his accent of doubling his e's and a's, and your fins flare indignantly. "Are you fuckin blind or just stupid? Do I look like a fuckin landweller?" You hiss, lifting up your shirt to show your gills. He looks shocked and you decide that, yes, he really is that stupid. One of his followers, a lavender blood, whispers in his ear. The leader shakes his head vehemently. "I don't care who he is, get him!" He shouts much too loudly, a mark of cowardice. The group hesitates and you grin, your sharp fangs glinting in the moonlight filtering through the water. This wasn't the first time you had been attacked and you were glad that word had spread. You didn't really like the feeling of killing. It felt too good, too natural. You had spent months suppressing the urge for mass genocide, and you weren't about to relapse just because a stupid sea troll didn't know when to back off. "If you've heard of me then I suggest leaving. Before you get-" You feel a sharp pain on the back of your head and the last thing you hear is the obnoxious laugh of the spiral horned troll. You wake in a cell with no idea how long it's been or where you are. Your head throbs at the base of your neck and when you put your hand on the spot you feel blood. You're not underwater but you can smell the salt of the ocean.  The room is fairly large, about ten feet between your cage and the opposite wall. The cage itself is big enough to have a bed, a stool, and a screened off corner with a toilet and leave room to pace. Your gun lays just out of reach, guarded by the lavender blood from earlier. You take in her one three pronged horn and its two pronged counterpart jutting out from her shoulder length hair. She's staring at your cage intently and starts when she sees you move. She yells a name, Mesica,  and settles back into her unsettling scrutiny. The spiral horned violet blood arrives so quickly you'd think he was listening at the door.

"Eridan Ampora." He's standing right up against the bars. You sneer at him, standing with the help of the wall. "Don't say my name. Your vulgar accent butchers it into an unrecognizable mess." You snarl, noting with a sense of pride that you're at least six inches taller than him. You wipe your face and the back of your neck with your coat. He smiles, clearly too confident for his own good. You rectify that with a fist through the bars, landing a hit right between his eyes. He howls and stumbles out, yelling curses and threats the whole way. "Cod why do you let that weakling be your leader?" You shake your hand, freeing it of the slightly lighter violet blood. The lavender shrugs in a gesture that asks the same thing. Mesica doesn't come back for at least a month, or what you assume to be judging by your meals. You and the lavender have been talking and you find that the only reason Mesica was allowed to be leader was that he had a lot of money. You had chuckled at that, the stupid troll too oblivious to realize he was being used. The lavender's name is Destry and you would like to think that you were becoming friends. Mesica barges in and stands just out of reach of the bars, obviously learning his lesson.

"Why do you kill seadwellers? You should be working with us against the landdwellers so that we can scourge the earth clean of their filth." As he continues you realize why you hate him so much. He is exactly like you used to be when you were thirteen, right down to the wording. You start shaking with suppressed anger, clenching your fists. God, were you really that ignorant, so full of hatred you couldn't even see past your self-entitled nose? Fuck, now you understand why no one wanted to be around you. It wasn't even the kind of kismesis hate, simply a desire to stop the bigoted and misinformed bullshit spewing from his mouth and you can't decide if you're talking about your past self or Mesica. It doesn't really matter, you hate them both equally. Just when you're about to lunge to see if you can reach his stupid smug face a huge explosion rocks the room, blowing up the wall behind him. He gives an undignified shriek and drops to the floor, covering his head with his hands. Familiar red and blue sparks emanate from the dust cloud, along with a voice that makes you almost cry in relief. "Fear not damthel in dithtreth. The Mage ith here."


	6. Chapter 6

You draw yourself up proudly as Sollux snaps the lock on your cage, and you swing the door open as if you have all the time in the world. You grit your teeth at the ease with which he broke you out, but you crush your anger down. It’s not Sollux’s fault that you were so stupid as to get caught and not make a plan of escape. A slight wobble of your legs belies the grace with which you step out of the narrow door, unused to more than just pacing back and forth. Out of the corner of your eye you see Mesica twitching against the wall where he had been blown away by the explosion.

Sunlight streams from a hole far above, where it seem that Sollux blew a hole through the roof instead of taking the longer route through the lagoon next to the building where you were held. You blink as the light pierces your skull, and it takes you a few more to adjust. A familiar weight is pressed into your hands and you look down to see the Crosshairs resting comfortably in your grip, your fingers automatically finding the well-worn patterns of the weapon. With a sigh of relief it goes into your strife specibus, and you stretch your arms above your head as you enjoy the freedom. You nod gratefully to Destry, and she paps your cheek while she places a slip of paper inside your pocket.

“Visit sometime Ampora.” She lilts softly, winking up at you. You grin back and run your fingers through her hair, the pale part of your heart practically beating out of your chest. Sollux clears his throat impatiently, crossing his arms.

            “Hurry up ED. I didn’t come here to watch you pale flirting with one of the people who kidnapped you.” He sneers. With a sigh you slink over to the psionic, the shame of having to be rescued heavy on your mind.

            “Take me home then. I’m tired a bein this fuckin filthy.” You wince at the hoarseness of your voice, cracking at every other syllable. Your gills feel dry and your mouth is like sandpaper. You make a resolution that when you get home the first thing you will do is take a nice long soak in the bathtub. Sollux hesitates and glances at Mesica, who has finally stopped twitching and fallen into unconsciousness. Your lips twist up into a snarl and you walk over to the troll, crouching down to look at him more closely. There is no way that you’re going to let him get away with this, and you’re on the verge of grabbing the Crosshairs when a hand touches your shoulder.

            Sollux stares at you with an incomprehensible look on his face, tinged with worry and…sadness? That can’t be. Nevertheless it reaches into your chest, squeezes your heart until you think it might burst. You take a deep breath and exhale slowly, standing up and taking one last glance at your captor before looking away. _Heh. Nice pun,_ you think with a little chuckle.

            “Thtupid theadwellers. Always needing someone to kick their ass or save it.” He snorts, grabbing your arm. He lifts you both into the air, the red and blue sparks tingling over your skin. As soon as you exit through the hole in the ceiling a gust of wind blows in your face, making you irrationally grasp tighter onto Sollux’s arm as though you might be blown away.

            “Damn it John.” You murmur under your breath, and the sound of faint laughter comes on the next gust before the wind returns to normal. He’ll probably bring word to the others as soon as he hears you on the wind. You see now that the cave was on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic, probably uninhabited from the wild look of it.

When Lord English had finally been defeated and the twisted meanderings of the game won, everyone had retained or gotten God Tier with the powers of their aspect. There wasn’t much you could do with most of them, but it seemed like a recompense for everything that you all had been through. It was almost comforting to know that the ones of the group, bound together by circumstance, wouldn’t have to suffer through the world with no one to understand what they had been through.

            You remember waking up along with the others in a clearing in the middle of a forest, and the celebration as everyone realized that it was over and that they were alive lasted for hours. Karkat had been the first to come talk to you, but Feferi was right on his heels. Roxy immediately created alcohol with her Void powers of course, and the party that night probably scared away half the animals in the area. The human’s family members were alive, creating some confusion and déjà vu as Dave met Dirk’s bro and Dirk met Dave’s bro and so on. Thankfully the parents chose to live in separate places, but they still visited often. Your lusii didn’t make it, but you think that was for the best. You and the other trolls just didn’t have the emotional attachments that the kids did to their guardians. 

            You wonder if Sollux is still tormented by the voices of the soon to be dead, and if Aradia still talks to ghosts. Maybe you didn’t talk to the others as much as you should, even though you’d all been living in the same building for years now. Well, except Jake and Jade. Technically they lived with everyone, but they were gone more often than not on one of their crazy adventures or visiting the island where they had grown up.

            “ED. Hello, Earth to ED. Alternia calling. Eridan!” Sollux snaps and you turn from your intense scrutiny of the waves to look at him. He has a scowl plastered onto his face, and you swear you can feel the heat of his glare through the cold ocean breeze. Mesica’s base must have really been in the middle of nowhere because you’ve been flying, albeit at a slow pace, for the past 45 minutes and there’s still no sign of land.

            “What?” You snap back, doing your best to glare at him through your sudden drowsiness. If you could you would drop off while he was carrying you, but the sting of salt on your cheeks keeps you awake.

            “I athked if you were going to return from Crazytown where you theemed to be having a nice little vacation. And if you were feeling alright. I’ll have to make sure KN and her girlfriend feed you when we get back.” He sounds indifferent, but his words don’t match his tone.

            “I’m fine Sol. I just need a bath and some rest.” You slap a hand to your forehead, dreading the month of college work you’re going to have to make up. With a little resolve you manage to almost forget about it, but you know that it will bother you until it’s done. You could choose not to go to college, but everyone seemed to have the same idea that you did. It was nice to all live together, but eventually life had to return to normal. Living on your own was a part of that.

            After another hour the city finally comes into sight, and you’re almost impressed with how far out those trolls took you. The sun is starting to set already, so it must be around 7:00. It casts its orange rays over the concrete and steel buildings, and you’ve never been happier to see the outline of the city than at this moment. Sollux slows the pace of his flying even more, until the two of you are gently floating above the streets to the complex. You close your eyes and breathe in deep, the smell of the city comforting in its relief. Just ahead is the complex, and you wonder why Sollux isn’t taking you down until he circles around to reveal the huge hole punched through one of the windows of the quarter where you live.

            “Wanted to see me that badly?” You ask snidely, scoffing as you narrow your eyes.

            “Wathn’t me. FF nearly broke the whole wall down tho I could get out fathter.” You can’t help your jaw dropping a little as he gently floats you through the broken shards of the window. In an instant the sound of 30 voices goes dead silent as they all turn to face you at the same time. A small stocky figure crashes into you, sending you a step back. Fuchsia eyes behind pink goggles gaze up at you, nearly brimming with unshed tears.

            “Stupid Erifish. We may not be morails anymore but you should clam well know better than to disappear like that. What the hell were you thinking?” Feferi steps back and puts her hands on her hips, looking at you sternly now. She then latches onto your left arm, Sollux still awkwardly standing on your right. You swallow, looking at your best friend and the troll who did more for you than you deserved, even when you were still a douchebag.

            “I’m sorry Fef. I’ll try not to get kidnapped anymore.” You say with a half forced smile, and she glubs in response.

            “Despite your obvious faults I would not wish for that to happen. You are still one of us, and you have been doing…better in your behavior. I’m proud of you.” Kanaya glides up to you, her hands patting your face as she tuts softly and murmurs something about getting you food before walking off. Your cheeks flush and you rub angrily at your eyes under your glasses.

            “Oh man, I was looking all over for you! I tried to listen to the wind but you must have been underground or something because it didn’t tell me anything. Were you underground?” John grins, floating to eye level. You tell him you were in an underwater cave and he nods, obviously thinking of how to get the wind into places like that.  


            “Eridan you stupid nooksniffer. I should wring your neck and leave you for the seagulls to shit into the ocean. What the fuck were you doing? What the fuck were you thinking? Were you even thinking?” Karkat suddenly hugs you, his head under your chin. You cautiously hug him back and after a long moment he pushes you away and turns back into the crowd before you can see his moist eyes. You’re almost overwhelmed by everyone wanting to talk to you, either condemning you or expressing relief at your return or both. Even the ones you’ve never spoken more than two words to.

            You try to smile and answer whoever talks to you but soon your exhaustion and hunger catches up to you. You’re pretty much leaning on Feferi when Cronus finally leaves after regaling you with something involving Kankri that you only half listen to. Your fins flutter in relief and you put your arm around Feferi’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

            “Just know that the next time you let yourself get caught I’ll find you myself, and I won’t be as gentle as Sollux was!” She says cheerfully, but the look in her eye makes you shiver. You have no doubt that she would and that’s the scariest part. Sollux chuckles next to you, smirking. Feferi smoothes your hair back, running her fingers through the violet streak. With another glub she leaves your side and starts talking excitedly with Karkat.

            You feel wooden as you’re left standing next to Sollux, blinking as you look around the room as though you’re seeing it for the first time. The couches look so inviting, but you suppose it would be more comfortable if you slept in your recuperacoon. If you could even make it that far. With the state you’re in you’d be lucky to make it to the bed without collapsing. You hadn’t slept much in the cage, a combination of torment by Mesica and lack of sopor. Turning your back to Sollux you keep your hand on the wall to steady yourself.

            The happiness you feel as you walk by the kitchen is indescribable. There was something comforting about the dishes piled in the sink that you know are probably from the last few days and the way that everything is stacked haphazardly, the toaster still plugged in and emitting the faint smell of burning toast. You walk over to the dark counter and unplug the toaster, closing a few of the cabinet doors on your way. The stainless steel fridge, which you’ve always hated because it shows so many fingerprints, is now one of the many comforts that you plan to revel in until it becomes routine again in a few days. In retrospect a month wasn’t that long, but it had seemed longer in your captivity.

 The door with your sign on it comes into view and you sigh. You’d all painted your signs on the doors to your rooms to claim them, as if everyone wouldn’t know whose room was whose. It was useful when you were stumbling home tired or drunk though, so you guess it was a good idea. Your hand is just barely touching the door when you feel someone grab the back of your shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe how long it took me to actually sit down and fucking work on this. I am so sorry. I posted two chapters so you can subject yourselves to back-to-back doses of my horrible writing. Also I edited my headcanons a little bit on seadwellers. Eridan will have another molt soon uwu I’d like to think that Eridan’s caste doesn’t stop growing until at least their nineteenth/twentieth sweep (saw that somewhere but I can’t remember where). Anyway I’ll stop talking and get to writing on my next chapter~


	7. Chapter 7

“I knew you were an athhole but I was expecting at least a thank you.” Sollux snarls behind you, turning you around to face him. You rub at your eyes with the back of your hand and yawn, hoping he’ll get the hint and leave you alone until you’re not so tired you can’t respond to his provoking.

            “Thanks Sol. Now if I could just-” He cuts you off with a derisive snort, staring at you over his stupid glasses. You turn your back to him again and open the door, but Sollux slips inside before you can close it. Your room is the cleanest it’s ever been, your pile of capes tidied up and the smatterings of dirty clothes have been consolidated into a laundry basket. The only untidy thing is the pile of papers stacked on your desk, your laptop covered in back-up work. It makes your head hurt just thinking about them.

            “Look I’ll thank you later, but right now I need a bath. Unless you want to watch me get naked you can wait out here.” You snap at him irritably, and he just gives you a sharp grin before sitting on your bed.

            “I’ll wait.” He makes himself comfortable on your bed, pulling out his laptop and immediately sinking into the technological world he likes to immerse himself in. You shake your head and walk over to the other side of your room, kicking your shoes off before you head into the bathroom. You immediately fill up the tub and sink up to your nose in the water, sighing in relief as it floods through your gills. Your throat closes up as they open, and even though you would have preferred salt water it’s the best you could do. Mesica had been smart enough to take you out into the ocean a few times a week. If he hadn’t, you might have died. You close your eyes and the warmth of the room is enough to make you doze off.

            _“Eridan no! Please!” Feferi reaches out to you, standing in front of Sollux who’s slumped against the wall. You motion her out of the way with your wand and her face hardens as she pulls out her trident. Your hand trembles a bit as she faces you down, and suddenly she’s running towards you and you’re raising your arm…and Fef is dead. Fef is dead and you killed her.  You’re standing there and there’s blood on your hands and Feferi is dead. You’re shaking as you turn towards the transportalizer, Kanaya’s body another reminder of what you’ve done today. You finally understand what Karkat was talking about in that memo you responded to._

_The pain you feel as the chainsaw rips through your middle is over in an instant, but it sears through your mind and cements itself in your memory. You expect to wake up with the two halves of your body separated but in this dream bubble you’re whole. The only evidence that it happened is the slight twinge in your middle and the agonizing second of pain you felt. You’re covered in your own blood and Feferi’s. You don’t remember touching her after you…killed her, but you must have._

_Time is irrelevant in the dream bubbles, but you think it will take an eternity to atone for what you did._

            You wake up an indeterminate amount of time later with your arms hanging out the sides of the tub, the water having gone lukewarm. The room is full of steam and you quickly drain the tub and get dressed, wiping off the mirror and the lenses on your glasses. They might look good on you, but you actually do need them to see. You lift up a strand of your loosely hanging hair and decide not to bother with fluffing it up since you’re planning on going to bed after Sollux leaves. You pat your face a few times to shake off the dream you had about the day you died, how angry and scared Karkat sounded when your past self had insensitively asked when he was coming to visit LOWAA. If you had known…but no. Past you was an irredeemable villain, and present you isn’t much better. Oh how weak your past self would think you are.

            “Give me a thecond I’m working on something for clath.” Sollux looks up as soon as you open the door but keeps typing, returning his focus to the screen a moment later. It should be almost December now, and it certainly had felt like it with how cold it was above the city. You make a mental note to call someone to fix the window but revise it when you consider that a number of people probably have already. You sit heavily next to Sollux, pushing up your glasses to rub at your eyes again. You’re just so damn tired, and Sollux isn’t helping.

            “I’m sorry for not thankin you. I should have.” You say into the silence, and you imagine that the other troll glances over at you for just a second. He still says nothing; the only sounds are the two of you breathing and the tap of his fingers on the keyboard. You clench your jaw and contemplate kicking him out so you can get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in a long while, even if your normal schedule would have you getting up at about this time.

            “I used my Vision to find you.” He says it so quietly that you almost don’t catch it. You blink in surprise, your mouth gaping open a little.

            “Doesn’t it take an insane amount of power to use your Vision?” You remember him trying to explain it to you, how he split into two version of himself after he went to a place that someone had been to recently. How one of his selves traced the path he had walked, the red one you think, while the blue one follows the path that the person he was looking for went. It confused you a bit, but you think that you understand it well enough. The one thing you know for sure is that Sollux becomes incapacitated for days after he uses it, barely able to eat or move anywhere. He’d used it once to find Aradia when the group was still in the forest. She’d gone off hunting with Nepeta but the oliveblood had returned and said Aradia had just disappeared out of nowhere. Sollux had flipped and was ready to burn down the forest to find her, but Karkat had managed to shoosh him into calmness. He found his moirail using his Vision, and it turns out that she’d found the edge of the forest and headed towards New York City, where you all stayed now. You chuckled a little remembering her offended look when Sollux told her how he’d found her and how meek he acted.

            “Yeah but it wath the only way to find you.” He shrugs offhandedly. You narrow your eyes, looking properly at his face.

            “Couldn’t Rose have used her Seer powers? It’s not as drainin for her.” Sollux clears his throat but doesn’t answer you. Maybe you’re reading into it too much but it looks like his cheeks have flushed a bit. You lift an eyebrow and yep, that’s definitely a blush. He snaps the lid of his computer closed and captchalogues it, standing up more quickly than necessary. He hesitates and makes like he’s going to say something, but the only thing he does is reach out and cup the side of your face. You unconsciously lean into it. You’ve always been a little touch starved, the only physical contact you ever had coming from Karkat. He’d hugged you once, when he’d come to visit LOWA, and you recall struggling not to cry. It wasn’t anything, just a hug, but you had clung to Karkat as if he were the rock anchoring you from getting swept into the current. Maybe in some way he was.

            Sollux snatches his hand away as if it had been burnt and leaves before you can say anything, slamming the door so hard it shakes the wall a bit. You stand to follow him but just end up with your hand on the doorknob, leaning your forehead against the wood. You bang your head against the door a few times just for good measure and sigh. You turn around and walk to your desk, sitting down heavily. You need a distraction, and doing homework seems like the best thing for that. You’re honestly surprised at how much paperwork you get. You’d been expecting more online stuff, but really the only thing you use your computer for in class is to take notes and write essays.

            You’re just about to shift a stack of paper when the top piece catches your eye. You pick it up and stare at it uncomprehendingly until it finally clicks. It’s one of the quizzes your history teacher always gives, and it’s completed. Most of it is filled out in red pen, but there’s a scattering of blue here and there. You set it down and pick up the next sheet, math, and this one is alternating blue and red, though you have a feeling it was all done by one person. Your brow furrows as you thumb through the stack, essays written and worksheets filled out, all graded. By the looks of it all you’ll have to make up is maybe a test or two. There’s a sticky note taped to the lid of your computer when you finally manage to dig it out.

**s0rry ab0ut this but we c0uldn’t just let y0u stress out when y0u g0t back. i h0pe y0u’re not too angry 0_0**

**ii 2wear to god ed iif you’re mad at u2 ii wiill per2onally kiick your a22 we diid you a huge favor**

            You laugh at the image of the two of them, Sollux complaining while he’s hunched over a math sheet and Aradia absentmindedly telling him to shut up while she’s working. Maybe that’s not how it went but you still chuckle. Your chest suddenly constricts at another thought. They had gotten your work every week and done it on top of their own while also trying to look for you. Some of the other people probably helped, but just from what you saw it was mostly Sollux and Aradia. You sit at your desk for a long while, trying to decide whether you should confront them now or after you’ve had some sleep. Finally you realize that you’re not getting to sleep any time soon and head out of your room. You start for Sollux’s room but think better of it and go across the hall, to where Aradia lives. Knocking on her door you shift a little, trying to sort through your muddled brain what you want to say.         


	8. Chapter 8

She opens the door as you raise your hand to knock a second time, smiling that creepy smile of hers that makes the hair on your arms stand on end. She grabs your wrist and tugs you in, slamming the door with a finality that makes you shiver a bit. Her room isn’t too bad you guess, filled with pieces of old ruins she’s discovered and _Tomb Raider_ posters that you’re 100% sure came from Jake as a wriggling day present or something. There’s also something that looks suspiciously like a whip underneath the wall covered with other posters from movies like _Indiana Jones_ and other titles from Alternia, all depicting a hero being badass while exploring forbidden places. There’s a skull sitting on Aradia’s nightstand, and you stop yourself from laughing by just a hair. Her room is painted a deep red, almost the color of her blood, which is a contrast from the violet of your room. Maybe you chose it because it was the color of your blood…or you just really fucking like the color purple. You suspect it’s the latter.

You also come to the conclusion that this is the second time you’ve been in another troll’s room. Karkat let you in once, when you had shown up at his door blackout drunk and crying. You don’t remember much, other than trying to kiss him. You only remembered that because Gamzee had risen from the horn pile they’d been snuggled in and scared you sober as he towered over you while making those oddly frightening honking noises with that psychotic grin plastered onto his face. For the next week you couldn’t have apologized more to both of them without getting on your hands and knees and bowing your head.  Eventually Karkat had told you that you were getting fucking annoying, and you think that meant he had forgiven you. Still, you hadn’t been back in his room since then. Aradia keeps a tight hold on your wrist and leads you to a little sitting area she made in the far corner next to the window, the two chairs facing the outside. She practically forces you to sit down and tells you she’ll be right back, gliding out of the room before you can say a word of protest. Maybe that’s why she’s such a perfect moirail for Sollux. She can make you do what she wants by gentle intimidation. She’s not scary like Gamzee or Kurloz, and she’s not forceful like Karkat or manipulative like Vriska. She just…suggests things, with the creepy smile on her face, and most people do what she wants without much hesitation.

When she comes back her hands are full with a tray, and you wonder how she got the door open until you remember that, right, she has psychic powers too. They’re not flashy like Sollux’s, but they’re definitely psionics of some kind. When she sets the tray down on the table between the chairs you see the teapot and two coffee mugs, accompanied by sugar and honey with a plate of toasted bagels on the side.

“You’re a fuckin godsend. You have no idea how much I missed bagels with cream cheese.” You tell her lightly, picking up one of the slices and biting into it. It just happens to be blueberry, your favorite. She smiles at you as she pours the tea, taking her cup in hand and staring out of the window at the city skyline. You finish the bagel slice and go for the other one, devouring the both in record time. You take your cup and just hold it with both hands, letting the warmth seep into your fingers.  You can’t see the stars much, not with how close you are to downtown and with the humans insisting on using archaic energy types like coal and oil. Still, there’s nowhere else you would rather be. You sit in silence for a while, running over all the possible ways you could say what’s weighing on your mind.

“I think you should go see him.” She says brightly, glancing at you over the rim of her teacup.  

“See who?” You tilt your head in confusion.

“Sollux of course! Though he hasn’t said it he’s really glad you’re back! He was worried about you.” She laughs at the look of surprise on your face. You clear your throat awkwardly, looking out of the window to avoid meeting her eyes. That was exactly why you had come here tonight, but there wasn’t any way she could have known that, right? Then again, maybe it was just simple guessing. You had gone into your room, and there was no way you could have missed the work on your desk.

“I wanted to talk to you first. I don’t really know how to approach him.” You confess, still keeping your gaze fixated outside. Your head is suddenly yanked down by your horns, and you cry out in pain as your right earfin is pulled. Your eyes water as Aradia tugs the sensitive fin.

“Don’t be stupid Eridan. If it were up to me you two would be locked in a room until you resolve the sexual tension that has been swirling around you forever. Sollux has talked so much about how he’s been confused on how he feels about you. When you disappeared we had to have Feferi and Karkat hold him back from charging out alone. If you won’t see sense then I’ll knock your heads together until you do.” She twists your fin and a tear slides down your cheek. You pull away, glaring at her as you rub your head. She just looks at you and sips her tea nonchalantly. Finally you sigh and start to fidget with your hands, wetting your lips with your tongue as what you want to say finally spills out.

“It’s just that it’s Sol. By all rights we should hate each other but somewhere along the way I started not hatin him. I know that I’m desperate an I can’t even have a friend without startin to like em but I can’t help it. I’m so pathetic.” A dry laugh comes out of your throat, self-deprecating and humorless. You cover your face with your hands, shaking your head. Aradia puts a hand on your shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

“Just talk to him. It will turn out better than you think.” She says quietly. You lift your head to look at her, smiling as if she actually cared about your feelings.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t fair a me to come in an whine to you. You’re not my moirail.” You tell her with a sad smile. She moves as if to grab your fin again and you shrink back, palms outward in surrender. 

“What you feel concerns me as it is fairly certain that you are soon to be the matesprit of my moirail. If there is any hesitation on your part, any uncertainty…well, let’s just say that if you hurt him in any way I will make sure that you feel pain for the rest of your long life.” She smiles at you, and even though her teeth are mostly blunt you feel like she would rip your throat out with them to make good on her promise.

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of…well, I’m sorta different now.” You nod quickly. Aradia studies your face for a hint of a lie for a few moments and purses her lips, seemingly satisfied for the moment.

“Good. Then this shouldn’t be a problem. I do believe that you’ll do your best to do right by Sollux but as the moirail and best friend it is my duty to warn you.” She pats your arm. You smile at her, your hands trembling as you clasp them together. The bundle of emotions in your chest twists itself into knots thinking about going across the living room and knocking on Sollux’s door. Worst case scenario: He flings you against the wall with his psionics and never talks to you again. Best case scenario: He does the same, but without the psionics. Already you’re overthinking the situation, your mind spiraling into all the bad shit that could happen because _Eridan Ampora you are literally the worst troll in existence Fef couldn’t deal with your shit and Kar only acts like he cares because he’s got the weird leader complex and everything is going to go horribly wrong and you’ll lose all your friends what the fuck are you thinking get out now._ Your thoughts are interrupted by a warm hand on your cheek.

Aradia isn’t as warm as Karkat is, but she’s damn near close. Her fingers trail lines of fire down your cheek as she purses her lips. “Stop being an asshole and go talk to him before I take it upon myself to supervise you two.” She says with a final pat to your cheek. You stand up more quickly than you intended, giving her a jerky bow and a nervous smile.

“That won’t be necessary.” You say quickly, shaking your head as you take a step back. You’re almost at the door when you turn around, barely containing your squeal as you see Aradia standing right in front of you.

“Thank you, for everything.” You try to convey all of your gratitude into your simple thanks, and you think she gets the message when she gives you the warmest smile you’ve ever seen. She grabs your shoulders and gives you a little shove out of the now-open door, shutting it behind you before you can breathe a word of protest. You sigh and stare across the hallway at Sollux’s sign, twisting your rings around your fingers without even realizing it.

Finally you steel yourself and stiffen up to your full height, trying to look like there isn’t a dragon attempting to crawl its way out of your stomach. You take long, purposeful strides, but it’s all too soon that you end up in front of Sollux’s door. You twist the handle and it swings open slowly; you feel like it creaks, but the hinges are too well-oiled for that and you figure it’s just your nervousness talking.

“Sol?” You call out softly, the thin sliver of light from the hallway the only thing that illuminates a strip of his floor. It’s strewn all over with clothes, empty energy drink can, pizza boxes, and takeout containers. None of your apartments have really changed much from when you lived on Alternia; all the stuff you could alchemize that reminded you of home and some new things that suited changed interests. A computer is booted up but the screen is asleep, the soft hum of machinery buzzing throughout his room.  

You close the door and step farther into the darkness, your eyes quickly adjusting to it. You scan the room, searching for a sign of Sollux. There, sitting against the wall in the opposite corner. Going to him you flip the blinds open, allowing the moonlight and the lights of the city to slant across his face. There are tear tracks down his cheek, and now that you’re closer you can hear the soft sobbing sound as he realizes your presence and tries to wipe his face off. He doesn’t have his glasses on; you assume they’re sitting on one of his desks.  

“What the fuck ED. What are you doing here?” You can tell he’s trying to sound angry and offended, but it just comes out in a pitiable whisper that makes your chest ache. You kneel down in front of him, tipping his chin up gently with your fingers. You cradle his face in your hands, and for once kissing is not the first thing that comes to your mind when you’re this close to a flushcrush. As you slowly pull his head towards your chest he offers surprisingly little resistance, and then he just sighs and clutches the front of your shirt as if it’s the last lifeline he has left. You wrap your arms around him then, nuzzling his hair and kissing the top of his head. He needs a haircut, and you can tell that he hasn’t showered in a few days, but you can’t bring yourself to care about that when he’s hiccupping into your shirt. You stroke his back, whispering encouragement to him as you shelter him protectively.

He’s shuddering now, little quivers that you can feel as he presses his face closer into your shirt. Your hands just rub quiet circles into his back as you rest your chin between his horns, letting him cry out whatever emotion had gotten him into this state in the first place.

“I am tho fucking flushed for you. The most inthufferable, overdramatic, self-thentered troll in the univerthe, and Thollux fucking Captor had to be flushed for him. Way to go me.” He pulls away enough to look up at you, yellow tears still trickling out of the corner of his eye. Your face has always been expressive, and from the way the corners of Sollux’s mouth turn down you think he assumes that your surprise isn’t pleasant. “Look ED I’m thorry. Now if you could pleathe leave and pretend thith never happened I would appreciate it.” You shake your head, tightening your hold on him as he tries to move away.

“You’re an idiot.” You tell him with a fond smile, wiping away his tears with the pads of your thumbs. You lean in slowly, your breath mingling with his, and with the moonlight touching the side of your face the last piece that you needed to make you whole slides into place as you kiss Sollux Captor…and he kisses you back.           


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not only did my phone crash while I was writing this draining my motivation and my cash, I also chose to update this when Homestuck is dead. 
> 
> Oh well. Here it is.

His lips are fire.  _Fire for you_ flares in your thoughts, making you shudder and moan. He's all yours and it's everything you've ever wanted. Sollux presses close to you with a needy whine and you pull away, touching your foreheads together. 

"Not tonight Sol. Too special." You brush his hair behind his ears, pressing a light kiss to his nose. He chuckles and brings you up with him, holding you close. 

"I remember when it wath all about pailth with you." He murmurs, and you smile affectionately. That was true, once. If only your past self could see you now. 

"Sol. I got somethin to ask you." He tilts his head in confusion. You take a deep breath, holding his hands with both of yours. 

"Will you be my matesprit?" As the last harsh syllable of Alternian falls from your lips Sollux clings to you, his arms wrapped around your waist and his head buried in your chest. 

"Of course I will you stupid fishbrain." He responds in kind. A proposal in a dead language of a dead planet that only 24 trolls would ever remember. It was perfect. A bond, shared between you two forever. You pick him up, noticing he's a lot lighter than he was before your month in a cage. As you make your way to the kitchen your phone pings, and you have an idea of who it could be. Setting Sollux down on a stool you take out your phone and open the Trollian app. 

**\- - apocalypseArisen began trolling caligulasAquarium - -**

**AA: i knew it 0_0**

You laugh and show Sollux the text, to which he blushes a bright yellow and snatches your phone away.

**CA: you know AA it'2 really none of your bu2ine22 two comment on**

You take your phone back, typing at an angle that he can't see while he cranes his neck to get a glimpse. 

**CA: thanks for the tip ara. he's blushin harder than i'vve evver seen. so fuckin cute**

**\- - caligulasAquarium ceased trolling apocalypseArisen - -**

You giggle at the look on Sollux's face, tucking your phone back into your pocket. From across the building you hear Aradia laughing, probably passing the news on to everyone who was awake and even those asleep. By tomorrow evening everyone would know about Sollux and Eridan. A glow of pride suffuses through you.  _Good. Let them know he's mine._ You begin preparing some steaks, letting them simmer on the little electric grill that sat on the counter. It would take some time for them to cook, so you decide to make some mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it. Every so often you glance at Sollux, beaming at him. It's so hard to contain your happiness, so you don't. You just want to kiss him breathless and protect him from everything. Finally the food is done and you serve it to him with a flourish, kissing him soundly when he looks up to thank you. 

"Thank you Sol. For everythin." You sit in the stool next to him, and you're just about to start eating when a grey hand shoots towards your plate and snatches a green bean from it. You twist the stool around and come nose to nose with Karkat, who has the most livid expression on his face you'd ever seen. Which was saying something, considering you'd seen Karkat pretty fucking pissed off. 

"If you do anything. And I mean ANYTHING to hurt him, intentional or not." He holds the green bean up. "This will be your bulge." Karkat snaps it in half, dropping the pieces back onto your plate and giving Sollux a tight hug. 

"I hope you're not wasting your time with this little shit." Karkat says to your matesprit, his back turned to you. But when he leaves he gives you both the same look, his cherry red eyes softening with love for the both of you. 

"Good luck you two. I hope it works out. Or else, Eridan." He points to the green bean again, drawing his finger across his throat before going back into his room, throwing you the middle finger right before the door closes. You shake your head, figuring that's as close to an approval as you're going to get from Karkat. At least he wasn't throwing around colorful obscenities, hilarious though they were. 

"Tho. Where are you taking me on our firtht date?" He questions around his food, chowing down on the perfectly tender steak. You don't like to toot your own horn, but you were a pretty fantastic cook. 

"I know just the place." You smile at him mysteriously, a plan already forming in your mind. 

**Author's Note:**

> So I said I would be doing one-shots but I can't pass up the opportunity for a long fic, and since everyone and their dog is doing this headcanon I figured I may as well join in. Basically everyone and their pre-scratch (the trolls) and post scratch (the kids) ancestors are alive after the Game ends. Plenty of other not-mine-but-I-totally-agree-with-them headcanons will be explained. And I still don't know how the fuck to color code pesterlogs so that won't be a thing no matter how much I want it to be.


End file.
